Setting up a home in the UK in approx 2 months, looking for best VFM gas and electricity suppliers. Average usage, family of four.
I don't want to be tied in for more than a year.
House is in NN4, near J15 of M1. I don't know who the existing energy suppliers are.
Many thanks, Matthew
Matthew mate, for all these sort of utilities queries then moneysavingexpert is always my first port of call
Last edited by seikopath; 11th June 2018 at 14:39.
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
I have been very happy with OVO.
And for me. Pay a very small premium for renewable, all good, app is decent.Originally Posted by Phil Lee
Me too. Signed on again this year.
I am with OVO and am just about to switch to Bulb they seem to be well regarded
Having used some iffy providers in the past, I'm very happy with So Energy.
They're well priced, customer service (and their online portal) are good, I've renewed with them twice now, they use renewable energy (if that's important to you), and they also offer £20 if you a referred to them.
Happy to refer anyone (I rarely recommend places). Drop me a private message if you want me to.
Yer a rebel. TZ-UK always first and foremost.
Bulb.co.uk – they use 100% renewable electricity sources, gas is standard, and no cancellation charge so leave anytime.
The web interface is very clear and easy to use and you can input readings as often as you like to keep it up to date. I've been with them for over a year and been very happy compared with the shower of usual suspects.
Thank you, exactly the kind of info I'm looking for.
Saving the planet one TZ member at a time
I use a similar small company that uses 100% renewable electricity as well. "Pure Planet". No contract either. Got this provider through moneysavingexpert and I usually change my supplier annually to get the best deals!
Another vote for bulb here, well worth a look I'd say.
This MSE has a separate energy provider site and it is very good. Choose not appalling or unknown customer service over absolute cheapness. I was with EDF, now Eon, they've both been fine.
i just switched to bulb (electricity only economy 7) but the rate was competitive as fuel costs have increased across the board, still way better than what was offered by my current provider Isupply energy who have been fine up to now with an easy to use website, but what they offered me was a big increase not the small one with bulb which was going from £480 on my current deal to about £560 P/A. no exit fee’s so i can always switch if they don't remain competitive.
i also got £50 credit for switching as well as £50 for the referring customer.
(if anyone wants a referral link then DM me and i’ll stick half in the fundraiser once its credited, but would like to point out all the bulb customers in this thread will be able to do this so if you have traded with or know them personally do ask them for a link first, if more than one person asks for a link i would rather pass that on to another member.)
A business associate of mine has just gone live with a new energy supplier, he’s a really ethical guy and keen to offer a better level of service. You won’t find them on MSE as he won’t pay the referral fees.
Yorkshire energy https://ye.co.uk
Well the transfer went nice and smooth from scottish power... just waiting on them for final bill and hopefully refund.
i chose the fixed caterpillar deal for the year which seems very competitive...
chers
matt
I just switched over to Bulb and it was seamless they have just one tariff and were very slick to deal with, if anyone wants to switch to them let me know as if you use my referral link they will put a £50 credit into your account which is a pretty good deal :)
An interesting piece on one of the BBC consumer shows about all this. It seems as if the small newcomers to the market are gathering many more customers than some of them can cope with and are unable to provide a decent customer service. Lots of complaints about them. Not all, of course, but money isn't everything. Saving £100 over a year is pointless if you can't get through to them when they've billed you wrongly. Ofgen is investigating them.
Moved to Octopus just over a year ago, excellent customer service and I am 100% happy with them!
I switched to ovo when they first seemed to appear. They were excellent and competitive. Then they put a smart meter in which never worked properly (they admitted to having a lot of problems) and just caused me hassle, then they become uncompetitive. Last 3 or 4 years I’ve just looked at money saving expert and always got a great deal. He claims to be able to negotiate big group discounts and I’m yet to find any better deals so think it’s true. Never had any hassle either. Good thing also is he lists their customer satisfaction levels etc.
Just changed to Octopus.Saving about £15 a month.
Anyone got a referral code for Octopus?
"Pure Planet" came up quite a bit cheaper for me than Bulb on MoneySupermarket but it says " it is likely that Pure Planet may need to increase its prices in the future. Its last price rise was March 2018", so I think it's comparing the increased price for Bulb with the (probably) pre-increase price from Pure Planet!
Pure Planet announced a price increase on the day my transfer from Bulb went through! Still cheaper than Bulb (post-increase) mind you.
Another vote for Bulb!
PM me if you decide you want to go with them (but before you do!) If I refer you, we both get £50!!
Bulb has a very good app. You can even self adjust the direct debit via the the website.
Bulb for me too, although today they have emailed me saying their prices are rising in August.
Just moved from Sainsbury’s / British gas to bulb we shall see
Octopus for me, well worth a look.
I just switched to Outfox The Market yesterday.
I'm told there simply isn't a cheaper deal for 100% renewable energy in the country, especially if you're a low user.
They pass on the wholesale cost of electricity and gas - making it a variable tariff - but charge you between £6.99 & £13.99 a month to be a "member."
Worth a look, especially if you have a reasonable idea how much energy you use.
I can't comment on customer service because, as I say, I'm not technically a customer yet until they switch me over!
Octopus gets the 👍 from me to
Same thing for me, although most of the others have already increased their prices.
I have been with them a couple of years and found them competitive and their site straight forward.
Also they have not tie ins, rolling monthly contract
If you do go with bulb, ask an existing member as you will both receive £50
I've been using firstutility fixed price deals for a few years now. Tempted to look at a provider that prioritises renewable energy when my deal ends though.
Well i have taken a punt with ye.co.uk
lets see how well this goes :)
cheers
matt
Having worked in the energy sector for a while, my advice would be to avoid the big six, soon to be big 5, probably 4, then 3 etc.
The large suppliers can’t supply energy at the capped price because their costs are to high, largely due to the smart meter programme, but also due to the way they have developed from the old public sector suppliers. The only one that stands a chance is British Gas, because they are so big.
Aside from the general advice, I'm with Toto, one of the newer, smaller suppliers. Money Saving Expert are great for comparison and offering impartial advice on whether they're risky or not.
We have just gone with British Gas via Moneysaving Expert - decent saving (over £100 per month for dual fuel).
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
SO Energy - Best company I have been with, I've heard good things about OVO too.
Thanks for the info - I think its time I looked to switch !
Cheers
matt
I use Outfoxthemarket.com
They charge a membership fee, but the price per unit is very low.
Have a look at their comparison quotes and see what they come up with.
Well that was interesting. I've only just switched to Bulb so I did a re-quote with them & Outfoxthemarket, using the same usage figures (2200 electricity, 5000 gas):
Bulb: £51/month
OFTM: £36.68/month (includes monthly fee)
That's a big difference. The website doesn't sem to say if that's a stable price for a year or if they adjust it each month based on the market cost of energy.
It was a £600 saving for me, which is why I made the switch.
For reference, we went with Bulb. It has made a big saving over the original provider which turned out to be EDF.
I don't know if is the cheapest option but it was an easy switch and they have been great to deal with.
Money saving expert. Even lists their customer service ratings which is quite important.
Octopus or Bulb I'd say: I'm with Bulb & they have been very good. I'll refrain from posting my referral link.
Thanks for the replies so far, everyone. Very helpful in narrowing down the options.
Don't just do something, sit there. - TNH
Just had another email off Bulb that they are increasing prices again in November, they only just increased them August.
Moneysavingexpert says I can save £236 a year by switching to Outfox the Market.
Any recent opinions on Outfox? I'm going to switch, that saving is too much to resist.
Not had that email yet. Better get myself on the price comparison sites!
I haven't had the email either but I will wait and see as they are pretty good on price and since joining Bulb I have had £200 from them for recommendations in a short time :)
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